1. Field of the Invention
A process for the production of composites containing reinforcing fiber and a fluoropolymer. The composites are useful in applications which require higher strength and/or modulus and/or lower creep, and where chemical and/or heat resistance is needed, as in chemical processing.
2. Technical Background
Polymeric composites consisting of a matrix resin (including fluoropolymers) and a reinforcing fiber are well known in the art. By adding the fiber to the matrix resin certain properties of the resin alone are often improved. These properties can include creep, tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus. Generally speaking, the reinforcing fiber chosen has a higher tensile modulus and strength than the polymer alone. When a fluoropolymer is used as the matrix resin, as described herein, the resulting composite often has many of the attributes of fluoropolymers such as high temperature resistance and chemical resistance, which make such composites useful in parts, for example, for the chemical processing industry and semiconductor industry. It is the object of this invention to provide a method for the production of such fluoropolymer composites that exhibit improved properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,859 discloses a method for the preparation of a coherent porous matrix of a fluorocarbon polymer by absorbing a cationic agent onto loose fiber, precipitating a fluorocarbon polymer from a colloidal state onto the fibers, shaping the aggregate and then sintering the aggregate to remove (pyrolyze) the fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,608 describes a process for making a random fiber sheet material in which the fiber crossover points are bonded by a synthetic elastomer. The process involves multiple "impregnations" of the fibrous sheet with an aqueous dispersion of a synthetic elastomer, and various other steps.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,414,356 and 4,163,742 describe a process for making tetrafluoroethylene copolymer-graphite fiber composite by mixing the polymer and fiber together in a slurry and then removing the water to obtain an intimate mixture of fiber and polymer. No mention is made of precipitating the polymer onto the fiber.